


All I Wanna Do

by FreeShavocadoo



Category: HiGH&LOW (Movies), HiGH&LOW: the Story of S.W.O.R.D. (TV)
Genre: Character Relationships, Introspection, Mighty Warriors fluff, Multi, pure fluff, retrospective relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:47:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22422829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreeShavocadoo/pseuds/FreeShavocadoo
Summary: Mighty Warriors have quite the selection of personalities.Ice and Ryu think retrospectively on the member of Mighty Warriors that seemed to take everyone by surprise.
Relationships: Pearl/Ice, Pearl/Ryu
Kudos: 8





	All I Wanna Do

Mighty Warriors were, by all accounts, an odd group.

Ice brought a whole new meaning to rose-tinted glasses when it came to his family, but even he could tell that the dynamic they all had shouldn’t work at all. The only similarity they all had was a love for music, and in a generalisable sense, a shitty background.

Having grown up near the docks, he’d seen his fair share of human misery, despair and violence. He hadn’t been dragged into the depths of repeating what he’d seen as a child, but wounds cut deep and created habits that you didn’t know had an origin to begin with. For Ice, it was a need for the family he’d never had growing up, the financial security to keep doing what he loved and keep those he loved safe and happy.

When he’d first met Pearl, he was considerably less personable than he is now. But it was hard to be an asshole, even back then at his worst, with someone like Pearl.

For everyone else’s vices and obvious mechanisms, Pearl seemed completely well-adjusted by comparison. Where people like Ryu and Sarah completely closed off when they were upset, content to keep to themselves and avoid others, Pearl would openly tell everyone when he was having a bad day. His capacity for empathy was limitless, always the first to answer the groupchat in an emergency and the last to go to sleep when he was in the same room as someone who was upset.

Ice can’t help but grin at Pearl as he thinks of their relationship, having never stopped to think about it. Like always, as though he has a sixth sense, Pearl’s head turns and cocks at Ice inquisitively.

“Whassup?” He says sleepily, rubbing at his eyes from his sprawled position on the couch, phone grasped in his hands above his reclined head.

“Nothin’.” Ice replies, chuckling fondly, “I was just thinking about when we first met.”

Pearl stares into space, his phone now discarded by his side as he smiles broadly, “you were a total asshole to me.”

“Doesn’t count, it was a long time ago and I’ve made up for it since.” Ice retorts, snorting when Pearl’s eyes swivel towards him.

It had been a very long time ago, after all. They’d only been teenagers.

* * *

_Ice ducks round a corner, avoiding the busy street that was a grimy market by day and a cesspit of violence by night. He isn’t sure where he’s going, but just knows that the place he’d been rough sleeping had been vacated, so yet again he’s forced to roam around with only the clothes on his back and a meagre backpack full of his ‘belongings’._

_He launches headfirst into a solid chest._

_“Watch where you’re fucking-,”_

_“My bad, man.” The stranger replies, as if he’s not just heard the beginnings of a full cuss-out from Ice._

_His eyes drift downwards to Ice’s, standing more than a head taller than him, with high cheekbones and delicate eyes. His eyebrows are slightly furrowed, but Ice can’t help but feel like it’s not because of him._

_“In a rush?” He asks offhandedly, staring behind him to a rundown house that was echoing with the unmistakable sounds of drunken shouting. His eyebrows furrow again._

_“Are you?” Ice retorts, sticking his chin upwards._

_It doesn’t matter if this stranger hasn’t given off a bad vibe just yet. He’s made the mistake of being too trusting before, and he won’t make that mistake again. Nearly everyone around here was willing to discard anything to get away from the place, or make their lives more liveable. Ice can’t even hold it against them, because if he had an option to take to get out of here right now, he would._

_The strangers head moves back towards the house, “nah. Just looking to get away from all of this.”_

_As though sensing Ice’s suspicions, the stranger points at the house in question, “my old man’s the one making the racket.”_

_Ice regards him suspiciously, eyes narrowed, “and how exactly are you gonna do that?”_

_“Find a club to go to, probably.” He replies, staring at Ice and avoiding glancing behind himself again. “Wanna come with?”_

_Ice can’t help but be taken aback. He’d had some companions over the years, most of which had ended with disaster. He was apprehensive about letting people into his life, but he yearned for connection. This had been a massive weakness that people had exploited in his past, but he begrudgingly follows his gut instinct for this one._

_“Sure.”_

_“I’m Pearl, by the way.” The stranger offers him his hand effortlessly, smiling._

_“Ice.” Ice shakes his hand softly, giving Pearl a brief nod._

_“Well, Ice, I don’t know about you, but I can’t fucking wait to get out of this fucking place.”_

* * *

Ryu wouldn’t be able to tell anyone what possessed him to become involved in the Mighty Warriors. Not because he wasn’t aware of it, but more likely because he was too embarrassed to get into the discussion out of fear of the things he’d have to admit.

It was a long time ago, now, but he still finds himself frequently thinking about meeting them for the first time, with the indescribable rush as they’d fought together as though they’d been fighting together for years. The way Ice had clapped his back and grinned at him, as though they were old friends. It wasn’t hard to get caught up in it all, to genuinely believe that you were loved and wanted, with the people in Funk Jungle.

If Ice had a natural counterpart, it was Pearl.

The two had been together the longest, over the years, having first met when they were teenagers. It was plain to see in the way they communicated, from the finishing of each-other’s sentences, if they even bothered to speak since they could practically mind-read, then it was the synchronised way they worked when it came to music.

For all of Ice’s softness, he still had a lot of hard edges buried beneath the surface. He let his aggression out when he fought, the years of pent-up rage, even beneath all of the jokes and bravado.

Pearl, on the other hand, had been a complete enigma to Ryu.

For all of his frat-boy energy, Pearl was an active listener in every conversation. You could guarantee that if there was an important date coming up, he’d remember it. He’d be the first to somehow find out whenever anyone was unwell or upset, never seeming to have a conceivable sleep schedule with the amount of places he’d be in one day.

Ryu knows that even now, with the distance put between him and the group due to Kuryu, that if he so much as texted Pearl to say he was feeling down, Pearl would be knocking on his door within the hour. Sure, he’d probably run several red lights in his yellow sportscar, but Ryu can’t help but admire the stupidity of it.

Unlike Ice, who craved the affection of others, to both give and receive it, Pearl was a natural when it came to both. Whilst Ice meant no harm by it, he’d often jump quite quickly towards physical affection with Ryu before he was fully aware of Ryu’s strict personal space. Pearl had always been the one to squeeze his shoulder gently, or pat his hand fondly, giving Ryu a simple wink.

He doesn’t think he’s ever seen him angry, which ought to make him suspicious, but even his black heart struggles to find a flaw in a man who’s smile is as radiant as the sun.

“Ryu-chan,” Pearl dances over to him, nudging his side playfully, “I didn’t know you were coming here today!”

“Why,” Ryu says dryly, “would you have made special arrangements?”

“I’d have gotten the full parade out and everything,” Pearl says with a serious face, “I’d have even told Ice to debut his love song for you, because I know you’d love it.”

Ryu can’t help the chuckle that comes out of his mouth, “you’re a dumbass, Pearl.”

Pearl just grins, giving Ryu a small, but very necessary, hug.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! This is a work in progress and may be added to (from more perspectives).


End file.
